One GOP consultant said he was completely baffled by Thomas’ decision to run for governor. “Has this guy gone completely insane?” the source asked. While Thomas believes he was wronged and unfairly targeted for disbarment for politically motivated reasons, the source said he’s got no chance of convincing other people of that.

WASHINGTON — Some feisty Republicans are challenging a claim widely held among GOP leaders that the party must support more liberal immigration laws if it's to be more competitive in presidential elections.

I was surprised to learn from the Friends Committee on National Legislation that 37 cents of every dollar we pay in federal income taxes goes to pay for current and past wars. At the same time, education, diplomacy, and help to the nearly 100 million people living in poverty in this country get only pennies on every dollar.

Byron Schlomach’s recent editorial, “Standing on principle can be costly,” challenges lawmakers to stand up for a “principle” when making a choice about Medicaid expansion. He describes exaggerated worst case scenarios that fail to acknowledge the certain bleak reality that will occur if the Legislature does nothing to restore Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) coverage for childless adults.

Since January, many of us at the state Capitol have been trying to determine a common-sense way to approach reliable health care for our neediest citizens. It is clear that a full expansion of our Medicaid program to 133 percent above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will add 400,000 patients or more to an already overloaded system. After carefully studying this complex issue, I have determined the plan is unsustainable and potentially harmful to hardworking Arizona taxpayers.

Arizona’s first private prison is going to become the property of the state.
A provision in contracts for the state’s five privately-run prisons allows the state to buy the prison for a nominal price as the contract expires.